Aeroviews Blog

Drones in the skies

For decades, NASA has used computer models to simulate the flow of air around aircraft in order to test designs and improve the performance of next-generation vehicles. Using a modified DJI Phantom 3 quadcopter, researchers recently used this technique to explore the aerodynamics.

The Phantom by DJI, relies on four rotors to generate the required thrust to lift it and any payload it’s carrying off the ground. Simulations revealed the complex motions of air due to interactions between the vehicle’s rotors and X-shaped frame during flight. As an experiment, researchers added four more rotors to the vehicle to study the effect on the quadcopter’s performance. This configuration produced a nearly twofold increase in the amount of thrust.

The findings offer new insights into the design of autonomous, heavy-lift, multirotor vehicles for uses such as cargo transportation.

A very interesting video on an experimental monocopter by researchers: Weixuan Zhang, Mark W. Mueller and Raffaella D'Andrea at the Institute for Dynamic Systems and Control (IDSC), ETH Zurich, Switzerland. It also explains how quadcopter over and fly.

Understanding IMU calibration and the various parts that make up a drone is important for any drone operator to understand his/her equipment.

An interesting article in the DJI forum does a good job explaining the parts and explaining the ins and outs to calibration, which can be key for the drone to behave as it should and for a safe flight.

All commercial drone pilots/companies must hold a current permission/certification issued by the Civil Aviation Authority, otherwise known as the CAA. Our CAA ID is 1142. No online registers of drone operators has any CAA approval. As such, we are not involved in any such registers.

We are insured by Coverdrone, a comprehensive aviation insurance product for the commercial drone industry and is fully compliant with EU regulation EC785/2004.